Pregnancy is often accompanied with many unpleasant side effects. Stretching can help to boost energy, decrease stress, and relieve pain. Remember that your body knows best! Listen to your body’s cues. And always, obtain physician clearance before performing exercises.

Breathe slowly, and deeply into each stretch. Never force your body to go farther than it wants to on a given day. Hold each stretch 20-60 seconds. Repeat 1-3 times depending on how much time you have and how you are feeling.

These are a few of the best stretches for alleviating discomfort:

Cat/Cow: Stretches back and strengthens core muscles.
• Start on hands and knees with a flat back from head to tailbone.
• Keep your back straight, without movement, while tightening your abs.
• Draw in your abs, slowly exhaling, and rounding your spine toward the ceiling.
• Keep abs tight during a slow exhale and then relax while you deeply inhale.
• Repeat with each breath.

Twisting Back Stretch: Stretches core and lower back.
• Sit with good posture and your shoulders relaxed.
• Straighten the right leg out on the mat and bend your left.
• Cross the left foot over the right leg, and place it by your knee on the mat.
• Place your right palm behind you on the floor, and press the left arm into your left knee.
• Inhale and sit tall. Exhale and relax further into the twist. Do not force into the twist by pressing hard.
• Then slowly untwist and straighten both legs. Repeat pose on the other side.
• Typically this pose is done with your abs pressed to your thigh.

(During pregnancy twisting the opposite way does not compress your belly.)

Child’s Pose: Stretches back, shoulders, chest, and core muscles.
• Kneel on the mat with your knees wider than hip-width, and hands under your shoulders.
• Lower your rear back towards your heels
• Reach your arms forward to feel more of a stretch while keeping your palms flat on the mat
• Rest forehead on mat and take several slow, deep breaths.

The Fit Pregnancy Plan includes a full body stretching program as well as workouts for your entire pregnancy and recovery. To learn more visit FitPregnancyPlan.com

Tatum Rebelle is a pregnancy and new mom fitness and nutrition expert. She founded of Total Mommy Fitness in 2005 after seeing an unnecessary trend of women opting out of exercise once they became pregnant and had young children. Learn more at www.TotalMommyFitness.com and www.FitPregnancyPlan.com.